The levels of plasma total and LDL cholesterol increase after menopause so that many women become at high risk for coronary heart disease. Postmenopausal hypercholesterolemia may be caused by reduced levels of estrogens. Thus, hormone replacement night be a rational approach to treat this lipid disorder. However, some data suggest that estrogen replacement is not an adequate therapy to prevent the rise of cholesterol after menopause. The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, Mevacor, at low dose, with or without estrogen therapy in postmenopausal women with hypercholesterolemia.